USDA/FAS GAIN report IN 6060

Annual agricultural biotechnology report

Report Highlights

The Government of India recently announced two new regulations that could adversely
impact trade in agricultural biotechnology products. The current legal troubles in India
regarding the pricing of Bt cottonseed could have serious implications for future technology
transfer and foreign direct investment in India’s biotechnology sector. Continuing its efforts
to improve the regulatory mechanism for bio-engineered crops, the Ministry of Environment
and Forests recently decided to simplify the clearance system for biotechnology crops by
replacing the “case-by-case” approval process by an “event-based” approval system. Area
coverage under Bt cotton, the only commercially-released biotechnology crop in the country,
continues to grow. All sections of this report were updated on 07/15/06.

Full report in PDF format: http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200607/146208487.pdf